Tag: end of life wishes

Learn about educational planning tools that are available for end-of-life navigators and teachers to use with their clients.

This week I welcome back to the podcast Reena Lazar and Michelle Pante of WillowEOL.com who will tell us about the free tools they offer to assist with end-of-life planning and a new workbook they have created (available to purchase). We will also discuss the importance of end-of-life planning and sharing our wishes with our loved ones. Learn more at their website:

Join the team at Patreon.com/eoluand get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it)

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on Patreon.com/eolu, especially my new supporter Kathy Breakwell, your contribution means everything to me!

Learn about a feature film that traces the story of a family’s conflict and ultimate resolution as their father reaches the end of life.

My guest Mike Kravinsky is the writer and director of this feature film that was inspired by his own father’s end-of-life journey. He discusses why and how he created the film and the impact it is having on viewers across the country. You can view this award-winning film, Nothing To Do, on Amazon Prime, iTunes and the Dish Network and it is also available for borrowing from local libraries.

Join the team at Patreon.com/eoluand get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it)

Join me in New York in September!!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on Patreon.com/eolu, especially my new patron, Jean Berman–your contribution means everything to me!

Learn about a popular new card game that helps people open up about death and have fun while they’re doing it.

My guests are hospice social worker Lisa Pahl and writer Lori LoCicero. They will share with us how they met and teamed up to create the fun new card game: The Death Deck. Learn all about the game and how you might start incorporating it into your work and family conversations. Learn more about the game at the website:

Learn some techniques and tools for having a more effective and productive conversation about end-of-life issues.

In this solo episode I’ll share some great information I’ve been learning recently about the skills necessary to have difficult conversations with the people we love. I hope this will be helpful to you too. You can download a Blueprint for End-of-Life Conversations at the link below:

Learn how planning ahead and being ready for the unexpected can be a special gift for your loved ones this year.

During the holidays we all want to find the perfect gift for our family members that will show them our love and bring joy to their lives. But face it … in this age of consumerism most people already have more possessions than they need and we have sadly littered our planet with excessive material goods that no one wants or can use. Here’s an idea for a gift you can give now that will bring peace of mind and relief to your loved ones some day in the future: plan ahead for the end of your life, gather your most important documents, and have a conversation with the people closest to you about your wishes.

Creating an end-of-life file that contains all of your most important documents along with your wishes for healthcare and after-death care is a task that will benefit you as well as your loved ones in the future. You will be saving them from a great deal of stress and frustration if they won’t have to search for your papers or guess what you might want for yourself when you reach the end of life. Why not use the holiday season as a motivator to complete your file and offer as a gift of love to your family!

This episode includes:

Ideas for storing your documents

Why it’s important to gather important information in one place so your loved ones can find it

Why you need to complete your advance directive (or living will) and choose a healthcare proxy now rather than later

The benefits of planning your funeral and burial in advance

How to view end-of-life planning as a gift of love for those who care about you

In this episode I share my thoughts on how to approach the very difficult task of making an end-of-life decision about the treatment a loved one should receive. Many people are called upon to be decision-makers in these challenging situations and this episode serves as a guide for choosing the best option for someone we love.Download the handout below:

This episode is sponsored by Suzanne O’Brien and her training program for caring for others at the end of life at Doulagivers.com and by your generous donations on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Join the team and receive special bonuses as a thank-you!

Thank you to all of my patrons and sponsors! Your support means everything to me!

Every day families are called upon to make nearly impossible decisions about the type of care a loved one should receive as they near the end of life. Here are some suggestions for how to navigate this challenging situation when there is no advance directive available for guidance:

Gather medical information from all healthcare providers involved in care

Ask direct questions:

What is the diagnosis and what complications have occurred?

What is the effectiveness of the recommended treatment?

What are the chances for recovery or improvement?

Are there side effects from the treatment or will it cause additional suffering?

What will happen if treatment is stopped?

What would you do if this were your loved one?

Get expert advice and guidance from a palliative care team if available in your hospital

Remember past conversations with your loved one that might give you clues as to his or her preferences for the end of life

Consider the statistics that most Americans prefer to die at home and most do not want aggressive treatment to prolong life in the face of an incurable condition

Ask your loved one for guidance by expressing your concern and your desire to make the best decision. Even though your loved one cannot verbalize, they can hear you – listen for any intuitive or “felt” guidance that might come to you about the best choice to make.

Be gentle with yourself and recognize that you have done your best in a challenging situation

Seek support from others outside your family

Tune in next week for another episode! Share this content with others who might it helpful and consider leaving a review on iTunes.

In this episode I share a conversation with Michelle Pante and Reena Lazar of Willow, a company that helps people express their personal and healthcare wishes for the future and leave a legacy of the heart for the ones they love. They will share their stories and tell us about an innovative retreat to Mexico they are planning this year – just in time for Dia de los Muertos!

You can still join our online reading group A Year of Reading Dangerously if you’re interested in reading a book each month about death, dying and the afterlife. Register here if you want to receive email notifications each month about the latest book selection. Go here to see the entire book list for 2018.

Thanks as always to my supporters on Patreon.com/eolu! Your monthly donations help keep this podcast and the EOLU interview series on the air. This week my thanks goes out to Suzanne O’Brien and Doulagivers.com for their ongoing support over the past year-and-a-half. If you’d like to join our team sign up at Patreon.com/eolu and receive special bonuses.

FEATURE PRESENTATION:

Today my guests Michelle Pante and Reena Lazar tell us how they started their company Willow and the services they provide to their clients. We talk about:

How the two of them decided to team up and create a vision together

How Reena uses her conflict resolution training in the work she does now helping people with end-of-life planning

Why they chose the name Willow for their company

What are “love letters” and “heart wills” and why they encourage people to create them

Tips for writing your own heart will

Details of the upcoming retreat in Mexico that includes a celebration of the Day of the Dead (you can still get the “early bird” discount of $200 off the price of the retreat if you sign up by August 20th and use the code EOLU)

Death & Dying Class Instructor Training

NOW AVAILABLE: Death & Dying Class Instructor Training

If you’ve always wanted to teach about Death & Dying issues this self-paced course will guide through the process of putting a class together. The course consists of 4 video modules (each about 1 hour long) and includes occasional Q&A calls with Dr. Wyatt and a private Facebook group for networking with other students.

A Year of Reading Dangerously

Sign up for A Year of Reading Dangerously and join us online in reading one book a month about death and dying for 2020! Learn more here.

AVAILABLE May 2020:

7 Lessons for Living from the Dying: How to Nurture What Really Matters

From Watkins Publishing:

There is no life without death.

The aim of this book is to ease our terror of death so that we can contemplate our own deaths, and those of our loved ones, with less regret, disappointment and fear, and to learn to live with more freedom and joy.

Collected here are uplifting stories of transformation and healing gathered by Dr Karen Wyatt from the hospice patients in her care. She offers the seven key lessons the dying taught her, from suffering (“embrace your difficulties”) and love (“let your heart be broken”) to forgiveness (“hold no resentments”) and impermanence (“face your fear”).

The sometimes challenging, always inspiring real-life stories are combined with guidance on absorbing the 7 lessons into our lives through meditation and other spiritual practices. Teaching us what really matters in life, the dying show us how to live our best lives now with meaning, purpose and love.

End-Of-Life University Podcast

End-of-Life University

Real talk about life and death

Dr. Karen Wyatt, hospice physician and author of "What Really Matters," interviews experts on all aspects of the end-of-life, including: caring for the dying, funeral and burial practices, planning for the end-of-life, conscious dying, grief and loss, caregiver support, afterlife, death and the arts, and community initiatives to improve end-of-life care. Access more interviews at www.eoluniversity.com

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